A vehicle may include an airbag system that deploys airbags during an impact of the vehicle to absorb energy from the occupant. These airbags can include front airbags, side curtain airbags, etc. The deployment of any one of the airbags may be dependent upon the size and weight of the occupant. The vehicle may include technology to determine the size and weight of occupants to determine the deployment modes of the various airbags.
For example, the airbag system may include a front passenger airbag that is deployable from an instrument panel of the vehicle in front of a passenger of a front passenger seat, e.g., during a front impact of the vehicle. The airbag system may be designed such that the front passenger airbag is deployed at a force and in a direction designed to impact an adult seated in the front passenger seat. However, this force and direction of deployment may not be designed to impact a child seated in the front passenger seat. In this situation, it may be desirable to deactivate the front passenger airbag when a child is seated in the front passenger seat such that the front passenger airbag does not deploy in the event of a vehicle impact.
The front passenger seat may include a feature designed to identify an occupant of the front passenger seat as an adult or a child. For example, the feature may identify the occupant based on the weight of the occupant. In this scenario, the feature may include a pressure sensing assembly that provides a signal to the airbag system whether the pressure of the occupant applied over a pattern on the seat cushion exceeds a threshold value or is below a threshold value. When the pressure measurement exceeds the threshold value, the occupant is identified as an adult and the front passenger airbag is activated for deployment in the event of an impact. When the pressure measurement is below the threshold value, the occupant is identified as a child and the front passenger airbag is deactivated.
Various factors in the manufacturing and assembly of the seat may affect the measurements of the pressure sensor. For example, manufacturing of the pressure sensing assembly may lead to variation in different pressure measurements. In addition, variation in the components of the seat, e.g., foam, fabric/leather covering, etc. may lead to variation in pressure measurements when the pressure sensing assembly is installed in the seat. For example, conditions such as temperature variation, humidity variation, mold changes, etc., may lead to variation in the foam. Assembly conditions, such as differences in stitching or trim pattern may lead to additional variation. In light of these factors that can contribute to variation in measurements from the pressure sensor, there remains an opportunity to design a system and method for testing the pressure sensor after installation into the rest of the seat to reduce the likelihood of false identification of mis-built seats.